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Whole Foods meets with JPNC

Whole Foods Market officials met with members of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council on Sept. 7, according to the grocer.

It is unclear what was discussed or whether the JPNC presented its proposed community benefits agreement to Whole Foods. Whole Foods and JPNC chair Andrea Howley did not immediately respond to Gazette questions.

“We feel today’s meeting with the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council resulted in much thoughtful and productive discussion,” Whole Foods spokesperson Heather McCready said in a written statement provided to the Gazette. “We appreciate the opportunity to discuss, in greater detail, the extensive community involvement that Whole Foods Market has in every community we serve.”

McCready said that Whole Foods is “eager to open our doors in Jamaica Plain and have our neighbors get to know us as responsible and active community members.”

A JPNC team has been privately drafting what it now calls a “good neighbors” agreement with Whole Foods. It is unclear what the document will contain. JPNC members said it would remain unpublicized until after the meeting with Whole Foods, the date of which was also kept secret.

Earlier this year, a JPNC committee held public meetings about Whole Foods and issued a report that could be the basis for the agreement. Topics in the report included local hiring, traffic studies and corporate donations to offset any gentrification effect of the store.